Weekly Report - 04 April 2019 (WR-19-13)

PERU: Seeking to avoid a Bambazo

Peru has a long history of social conflicts over major mining operations. Some of these conflicts have turned violent, leading to major crises that jeopardise governments, most recently the 2009 ‘Baguazo’ that rocked the Alan García administration (2006-2011). The resurfacing of a long-running conflict over the Las Bambas copper mine in Apurímac region produced concerns that the government led by President Martín Vizcarra could be facing its first such crisis. Yet despite a string of inauspicious incidents, including an attack on a helicopter carrying government officials to the area, the Vizcarra government is currently striving to advance a dialogue with those protesting against Las Bambas in the hopes of finding a solution.